As Britain's voters prepared to ballot in today's national election, the leaders of the three major parties made 11th-hour appeals for support in the closest contest in nearly 20 years. Prime Minister John Major was fighting for the life of his Conservative government and for what he called the economic future of Britain, as opinion polls showed a slight swing from the Tories to the opposition Labor Party.

Britain's Labor Party has its roots in the trade union movement and socialist reformist societies. Here are some key dates: 1900--The Trades Union Congress cooperates with the Independent Labor Party, founded in 1893, to form a Labor Representation Committee--an effort to gain working-class representation in Parliament. 1906--Supported by socialist groups such as the Fabian Society, the Committee formally changes its name to the Labor Party.

The British Labor Party chose a new leadership, with gains made by allies of party leader Neil Kinnock. Less than a month after losing a hard-fought general election to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives, Labor's 229 members of Parliament chose a "shadow cabinet" of 15 that reflects Kinnock's soft-left political stance.

Prime Minister John Major on Friday hailed the final results of the British election, which gave his Conservative Party a much-reduced but still comfortable majority in Parliament and a mandate to govern for the next five years. According to the official count of the votes cast Thursday, the Conservatives wound up with 336 seats in the 651-member House of Commons, 10 seats more than needed to win outright and 21 more than the combined opposition total.

The governing Conservative Party maintained a slender lead early today over its Labor Party opponents in Britain's national election, and projections indicated that it would win an overall majority in Parliament. So close was the race that the final, official results will not be known until later today. But it appeared that the Conservatives, under Prime Minister John Major, would remain in power with a thin but unassailable majority of between 15 and 20 seats in the House of Commons.

Prime Minister John Major on Friday hailed the final results of the British election, which gave his Conservative Party a much-reduced but still comfortable majority in Parliament and a mandate to govern for the next five years. According to the official count of the votes cast Thursday, the Conservatives wound up with 336 seats in the 651-member House of Commons, 10 seats more than needed to win outright and 21 more than the combined opposition total.

Britain's Labor Party has its roots in the trade union movement and socialist reformist societies. Here are some key dates: 1900--The Trades Union Congress cooperates with the Independent Labor Party, founded in 1893, to form a Labor Representation Committee--an effort to gain working-class representation in Parliament. 1906--Supported by socialist groups such as the Fabian Society, the Committee formally changes its name to the Labor Party.

The governing Conservative Party maintained a slender lead early today over its Labor Party opponents in Britain's national election, and projections indicated that it would win an overall majority in Parliament. So close was the race that the final, official results will not be known until later today. But it appeared that the Conservatives, under Prime Minister John Major, would remain in power with a thin but unassailable majority of between 15 and 20 seats in the House of Commons.

As Britain's voters prepared to ballot in today's national election, the leaders of the three major parties made 11th-hour appeals for support in the closest contest in nearly 20 years. Prime Minister John Major was fighting for the life of his Conservative government and for what he called the economic future of Britain, as opinion polls showed a slight swing from the Tories to the opposition Labor Party.

The British Labor Party chose a new leadership, with gains made by allies of party leader Neil Kinnock. Less than a month after losing a hard-fought general election to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives, Labor's 229 members of Parliament chose a "shadow cabinet" of 15 that reflects Kinnock's soft-left political stance.